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City Blog: January 2016 — December 2016

Andy Stanley has some helpful insight on ministry. All ministry utilizes environments - the physical places and feel of places we use to preach, worship, study, fellowship, serve or in other ways engage our guests. Worship happens in an environment. Community groups happen in an environment. Leader meetings happen in an environment. Stanley's goal is to create "irresistible environments." I'd settle for "winsome." Point is, people love the environments and want to come back. Leaders shape these environments whether they know it or not....

New York City, I'm sure you've noticed, is distraught. People are visibly upset. There is a sense of collective shock - how could this happen? This is a historical moment, and it is a time to pay attention to how God is moving in his church. So yesterday we broke protocol. I didn't give a sermon. Instead, we opened up that time for an open forum discussion. I wanted to check our pulse, to see how people are feeling and reflect on the events of this past week. Most importantly, I wanted for us to try to hear God's voice at this critical ...

One of the things that has become abundantly clear to me in nine years of ministry is that my ability to change people is actually rather minimal. Coming out of seminary, I was naively eager to fix people with my M.Div tucked firmly in my belt. It's humbling to realize 1) you need fixing just as much as anybody else and 2) trying to fix people isn't a great strategy (it's oftentimes hurtful) and 3) there's actually not much you can do for broken people anyway. It's actually much easier to love people if you can simply accept them as they ...

I'm back after having taken a ten week sabbatical. This sabbatical wasn't what you might think. There were no ambitious writing or research projects, no seminary classes and little traveling. Instead, I tried to treat it as one long continuous sabbath - learning to find rest in God himself. Surprisingly, it wasn't easy, at least not at first. The first couple of weeks, I bounced back and forth between "this is too good to be true" and "I feel so guilty for not doing anything productive." I tried to relax, read a little, went on long ...

The harvest is ripe but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. So begins Jesus' commission to the seventy-two disciples as he leads them in the next installment of their own discipleship. Harvest time can last a few days or a few weeks. It's the time when extra hands are hired to bring in the crops before they're destroyed. Jesus has work to do and can't do it alone. His disciples-in-training are sent to continue his work, equipped by his Spiritual power and authority and message to do ...

Can I have a personal relationship with God? Constantly heard in evangelical churches is this idea: “You can have a personal relationship with God!” For many, this sums up the Gospel message. This is the reason Jesus died on the cross. Megachurch pastors, televangelists, crusaders and regular church pastors alike are all claiming that through Jesus this is possible. But is it true? A quick word search in the Bible will show that the phrases, “personal relationship with God,” “relationship with God,” and “personal relationship” never ...

Reading through II Chronicles in the Old Testament is a bit depressing. Rehoboam, Solomon's heir, takes the throne and decides against the better wisdom of Solomon's advisers to exert brutal pressure on the people. All but Judah and Benjamin rebel, and the kingdom is torn in two. Subsequent chapters detail the ensuing rivalry between the two kingdoms and their subsequent risings and failings depending on their leadership.
A theme soon develops. The fate of the nation in the hands of any one king depends almost entirely on one factor - the ...

"Am I a real Christian?"
The question is a helpful one to ask periodically. God wants us to move beyond doubt when it comes to our salvation. But because of the prevalence of sin that goes under the guise of "Christianity," it is necessary to test ourselves time to time. Whether you answer in the positive or negative, the answer is helpful. If "yes," you can feel secure and thankful to God. If "no," the Spirit is convicting you to bring about true repentance and faith - you may have saved yourself from disaster.
I John is filled with ...

"Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" (John 21:16) Simon (also named Peter) committed a terrible sin. He betrayed Jesus during Jesus' worst moment, denying that he even knew him. Following Jesus' death, Peter is so wracked with guilt and sadness, he gives up the whole following Jesus business to return to his former way of life. Jesus asks him this question. Jesus knows the answer, but he wants John to hear himself say the words, "Yes, Jesus. I love you." He wants to absolve him of his guilt and remind him of his purpose - "Feed my ...